Collecting Geeky History, One Signature at a Time

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Collecting Geeky History, One Signature at a Time

As a collector, I am always interested in the collections of others. Almost everyone collects something and there are also unique collections out there waiting to be discovered and brought to light. I've met people who collect things as commonplace as stamps, baseball cards, Star Wars swag and so on. Then I've met people who collect the odd, like matchbooks from truck stops across the United States, or carburetors from old Fords. I spent a time collecting coffee stained post-it notes, the stains made the most interesting designs. There are also some things that people collect that just cannot be repeated on a family blog. I'll leave that one to the imagination.

One collection of a friend of mine piqued my curiosity as the collection wasn't just objects, it was history and culture all wrapped up into a few simple letters in a name. He collects signatures. For the security of his collection, he asked that I change his name for this post so we'll call him Karl Von Wolfhauser. While the signatures Karl collects are significant in themselves, what they are written on can be just as significant, if not poignant to the item.

These aren't just signatures of some current TMZ; celebrity, well some might be. I didn't get a look at his whole collection. The other fact is, this isn't just a hobby, it's a business. Karl makes a good chunk of side change off buying and selling signatures, and there is a brisk business of selling signed memorabilia at auction, from sports signatures to desk items signed by presidents. I wanted to know more about this interesting collection, so I sat down with Karl to discuss what it's like to collect signatures. Plus, he had stuff signed by Carl Sagan, and that's just plain awesome.

GeekDad: Why signatures? What made you decide to collect signatures instead of other historical objects?

Karl Von Wolfhauser: I would say the uniqueness of the items I collect is one of the more intriguing aspects. I have always loved history and to hold something that is literally a “frozen” piece of it is, to me, fascinating. I have always been a “collector”. When I was a kid I collected baseball cards and would go to spring training games and have the players sign the cards. I remember going to a local card show and the dealers wanted to by some of my signed cards, but I was reluctant to sell them. I wondered how they would know if they were even real. One time I took one of my cards, worth about 25 cents, and scribbled the players name on it with a sharpie and offered it to a dealer for five or six dollars and he bought it. I felt bad and didn’t ever do that again.

I actually got back into autographs about five years ago as a way to try and make some extra income. I got on eBay and noticed how many there were. I bought an Albert Einstein, John Wayne, Martin Luther King Jr. and a John F. Kennedy. I sent them into a major auction house to consign them. If my calculations were correct, I stood to double my money. The auction house called me when they received the items, which were all fakes. Fortunately, I was able to get my money back from the eBay sellers. I have since learned to be much more discerning.

GD: What's the oldest and most significant piece you own?

KVW: The significance of any historical event is very relevant. People forget quickly and times change rapidly. I have a letter from the 1700’s written in the hand of Voltaire, the French Enlightenment philosopher. The content is about him telling some friends he will be at a book store in Paris. The letter is not signed or dated it only states a time and place. This all leads me to believe he was sneaking into Paris, as the government had kicked him out multiple times during his life due to what he wrote.

GD: How about your most recent acquisition?

KVW: I just acquired a letter written by Carl Sagan regarding the NASA Viking program in the late 1970’s. He also included a photo taken by the Viking Lander on the Martian surface, which he signed.

GD: What's the process for authenticating the signatures to ensure that they aren't fakes?

KVW: Distinguishing between authentic exemplars and forgeries is the most challenging aspect of autograph collecting and dissuades many people from purchasing autographs. Some collectors just go off of their “gut” feeling, which, having tried that, I do not recommend.

The actual process of “authenticating” autographs takes into account variables such as ink flow, size, and comparison to known authentic examples. In my opinion the most reputable authentication company is PSA/DNA. I purchase most of my autographs from a monthly auction house called RR Auction. They have a world-renowned team of specialty authenticators as well as some of the founding PSA/DNA members.

I feel that autographs make a great investment, so long as they are real. Most COA’s (certificate of authentication) are worthless. You have to be very careful buying any autographs off of sites like eBay. I would estimate that about 80-90% of the autographs of modern-day celebrities on eBay are forgeries.

GD: The most interesting object you have signed?

KVW: I have a Hard Rock Café shot glass signed by Anna Nicole Smith. I also have a drum head signed by Jack White (who hates to sign autographs) and Meg White of The White Stripes. They both added stripes in white ink on it.

GD: How about the differences in how people sign their names from 100 years ago to now?

KVW: In general handwriting has become less legible. With the advent of computers and typing in general, people do not write by hand as much. Signatures of famous people have changed more than anything else. Most modern day movie actors and actresses, for example, have almost illegible signatures. Many sign with initials only, making authentication extremely challenging. Famous people also tend to sign their names much larger now then in the past. This may be partially due to the use of permanent markers in place of fountain and ink pens.

GD: How many presidents do you have signatures from? Artists?

KVW: I have a signed photo of Theodore Roosevelt in his Rough Rider uniform. I also have an Illinois Senatorial Campaign sign autographed by Barack Obama from 2004. As for artists; Salvador Dali, Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp, James Thurber, Joan Miro and Jim Davis.